Gate-latch.



O. C. MILLER.

GATE LATCH.

APPLICATION TILED APR. 20, 1914.

1, 1 1 2,71 5, Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT ()FTGE.

CLARENCE C. MILLER, 0F SHELLSBURG, IOWA.

GATE-LATCH.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLARENCE C. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shellsburg, in the county of Benton and State of Zc-wa, have invented a new and useful Gate-Latch, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to latches for gates, and other swinging closures or members.

This invention contemplates the provision of a novel and improved latch device, operable in a simple and effective manner for automatically latching the gate when the same is closed, and permitting the gate to be unlatched in a convenient manner.

The invention also aims to provide a latch device embodying a unique assemblage or combination of parts, whereby the utility of the device will be enhanced.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description procoeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention has been illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved latch device as applied to the striking post of a gate, portions being broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmental elevation ofthe adjacent end portions of the locking rods.

In the drawing, the latch device has been illustrated as applied to the striking post of a gate, for locking the gate in closed position, but this is to be taken as typical, inasmuch as the invention may be employed in divers capacities.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the gate or swinging closure, and 2, the striking post adjacent which the free end of the gate 1 is arranged when the gate is closed.

The improved latch device includes a frame or elongated back embodying a bar 3 attached to that side of the post 2 adjacent Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 20, 1914.

Patented Oct. 6, 191%. Serial No. 833,209.

the free end of the gate 1, by means of bolts or other attaching means 42. The upper and lower ends of the bar or frame 3 are bent angularly away from the post 2, as at 5, and are provided with open-ended slots or recesses 6 extending to the body portion of the bar 3 from the free ends of the angular ends 5.

A pair of duplicate latch levers 7 are carried by the angular ends 5 of the bar 3, the intermediate portions of the levers '7 being pivoted or fulcrumed Within the free end portions of the angular ends 5, by means of rivets or other p'ivotmembers 8. One arm of each latch lever 7 is of semi-circular or sectoral contour, as at 9, and is arranged for swinging or oscillatory movements within the slot 6 of the corresponding angular portion or end 5 of the bar 3. The other or outer arm of each lever 7 is forked or bifurcated, as at 10, and has its arms or branches suitably curved to receive and accommodate the free end of the gate 1, as indicated in Fig. 2. The latch levers 7 are arranged to oscillate or swing to one side or the other, according to the direction in which the gate 1 swings open, to thereby enable the free end of the gate to withdraw from the forks 10 of the latch levers, and whereby when the gate is swung to closed position, the free end of the gate may enter the forks 10, as will be readily apparent from the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawing.

Means are provided for locking the latch levers 7 at their normal or neutral positions, when the gate is closed, and to this end the inner or wing-shaped arms 9 of the levers are provided with notches or recesses 11 at their free ends, and which are arranged within the inner ends of the slots 6 when the latches are at normal or neutral positions. Vertically arranged and alining locking rods 12 have'theirremote ends slidable through apertures 13 formed in the butt end portions of the lower and upper branches of the upper and lower slotted ends 5, respectively, of the bar 3. The remote ends of the locking rods 12 are projectable into the inner end portions of the slots 6 to engage the notches 11 of the latch levers 7 to lock the said levers against swinging movement when they are in normal or initial position. The locking rods 12, which are of suitable lengths, have their adjacent ends spaced apart, and connected by an expansion spring 14:, which tends to separate the rods 2 and to project the remote ends of the rods 12 into engagement with the notches 11 of the latch levers. The adjacent end portions of the rods 12 are guided by staples or other guide members 15 secured to the bar 3 adjacent the spring 1 1-, the remote ends of the rods 12 being guided through the apertures 1 as above indicated. In this manner, the rods 12 are mounted for vertical reciprocatory movements, to enable the rods 12 to engage and release the latch levers. The downward and upward movements of the upper and lower rods 12, respectively, are limited, to thereby limit the movements of the rods 12 toward each other, by means of pins or lugs 16 provided upon the rods 12 adjacent the guides 15, and forming stops above and below the upper and lower guides 15, respectively, to limit the movement of the rods 12 toward each other. The locking rods 12 are also provided at their adjacent ends with lateral handles 17, which cooperate in such a manner, that they may readily be grasped by the hand of a person, at either side of the gate, for drawing the rods 12 toward each other to release the levers 7 The present latch device may be inexpensively manufactured, and is comparatively simple in construction. The device may also be applied to the striking post or other supporting member 2 in a convenient manner, so that the forked arms 10 of the latch lovers 7 cooperate with the free end of the gate to the ends desired.

When the latch device has been applied to the striking post 2, as illustrated in the drawing, the gate 1 being closed and having its free end engaging the forked arms 10 of the latch levers, will swing the latch levers to normal or neutral positions, in which event the rods 12 will be thrown away from each other under the influence of the spring 1% to project the remote ends of the rods 12 into engagement with the notches 11 of the levers 7, the remote branches or arms of the slotted angular ends 5 serving as stops to limit the movement of the rods 12 away from each other. To open the gate, it is merely necessary to press the handles 17 at one side toward each other, which will retract the remote ends of the rods 12 out of engagement with the latch levers 7, in order that the levers 7 may swing when the gate is swung open to either side. The movement of the rods 12 is limited by the stops 16 carried thereby, and cooperable with the guides 15, to prevent the remote ends of the rods 12 from being withdrawn out of engagement with the angular ends 5 of the bar 8, as would be detrimental. As soon as the latches 7 are released to open the gate, the rods 12 are released, and will be thrown away from each other by the spring 14-, to cause the remote ends of the rods 12 to frictionally engage the adjacent sides of the winged arms 9 of the levers 7. Thus, when the gate is swung open toward one side or the other, the spring pressed rods 12 engaging the wing-like arms 9 of the levers 7, will hold the levers at any position to which they are swung, so that when the free end of the gate is withdrawn from the forked arms 10 of the levers, the levers will be maintained at such positions, that when the gate is again closed, the free end of the gate will swing into the forked arms 10 properly. l t hen the gate is swung to normal or closed position, the levers 7 will be swung to normal or neutral positions due to the engagement of the free end of the gate with the forked arms 10 of the levers. '7 As soon as the levers 7 assume their normal or neutral positions, the rods 12 will snap into the notches 11 of the levers, under the influence of the expansion spring 1 1, to lock the levers against movement until the locking rods 12 are again retracted out of engagement with the levers, by a person wishing to pass through the gate-way.

The latch levers 7 being duplicated at the upper and lower ends of the post 2, will most effectively hold the gate in closed position, and will prevent the upper and lower ends of the gate being sprung by pressure thereagainst, when the gate is closed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a latch device, a frame having an angular portion, a latch lever fulcrumed i11- termediatc its ends to the free end of the said angular portion, one arm of the lever being wing-like, swinging adjacent the said angular portion and having a recess, the other arm of the lever projecting from the said angular portion for the engagement of an object to be held by the lever, and a spring-pressed rod guided by the frame and its angular portion and having one end adapted to bear against one side of the said wing-like arm and to engage in the said recess.

2. In a latch device, a frame having an angular slotted portion, a latch lever fulcrumed within the said angular slotted portion and having a wing-like portion movable within the slot and provided with recess, and a spring-pressed rod guided by the frame and the said angular portion and having one end arranged to bear against one side of the said wing-like portion and to engage in the said recess.

3. in a latch device, a bar having an angular slotted end, a latch lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends within the free end of the said angular portion, one arm of the lever being semi-circular and working within the slot of the said angular portion, said arm of the lever having a recess, and the other arm of the lever being arranged to engage an ohject to be held by the lever, and a springpressed rod guided by the bar and angular end and having one end arranged to bear against one side of the said semi-circular arm of the lever and to engage in the said recess.

at. In a latch device, a pair of latch levers, and spring-separated locking rods having their remote ends engageable with the levers to hold them at normal positions.

5. In a latch device, a pair of latch levers having wing-like portions provided with recesses, and a pair of spring-separated locking rods having their remote ends adapted to bear against the said wing-like portions of the levers and to engage in the said recesses.

6. In a latch device, a pair of latch levers fulcrumed intermediate their ends, one arm of each lever being wing-like and having a recess, and spring-separated locking rods having their remote ends engageable with certain sides of the said wing-like arms and to engage in the said recesses.

7. In a latch device, a bar, latches pivoted to the end portions thereof, a pair of locking rods guided by the bar and having their remote ends engageable with the said levers, and an expansion spring disposed between the said rods for separating them and engage the levers.

8. In a latch device, a bar having angular end portions, latch levers fulcrumed to the said end portions andhaving wing-like portions cooperating therewith and provided with recesses, locking rods guided by the bar and its angular end portions and having their remote ends arranged to bear against the said wing-like portions and to engage in the said recesses, and a separating spring disposed between the said rods.

9. In a latch device, a bar, latch levers pivoted to the end portions thereof and having wing-like portions provided with recesses, guides carried by the bar, locking rods sildable through the said guides and having their remote ends engageable with the said wing-like portions and in the said recesses, a separating spring disposed between the said rods, handles carried by the adjacent ends of the rods, and means for limiting the movement of the rods toward each other.

10. In a latch device, a bar having angular end portions, latch levers fulcrumed intermediate their ends to the said angular portions, one arm of each lever being winglike and having a recess, the said arms of the levers cooperating with the angular portions of the bar and the other arms of the levers projecting for the engagement of an object to be held, locking rods guided by the bar and having their remote ends cooperable with the said wing-like arms of the levers and engageable in the said recesses, a separating spring between the rods, handles carried by the adjacent ends of the rods, and means for limiting the movement of the rods toward each other. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE C. MILLER.

Witnesses:

W. M. DE FOE, JOHN WV. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

